The driver of a tractor trailer who allegedly fell asleep before he crashed into another big rig on Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania last year has been charged in the fatal accident.

The Lehigh Valley Express-Times reports that the accident occurred just after 6:30 a.m. on September 2 when an 18-wheeler being driven by 47-year-old Richard Pedota of New York crashed into a semi that had been stopped on the roadway and another car in Lower Saucon Township.

The impact of the crash caused a massive fire and killed the driver of the second tractor trailer, 52-year-old Mario Chacon, who was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

According to the news agency, Pedota was recently arraigned on charges that include involuntary manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide and reckless driving. He was released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

At the time of the accident, Pedota told police that he had fallen asleep at the wheel right before the collision. Pedota's lawyer reportedly contends that his client did not violate any of the state's motor vehicle laws.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 1,256 people died as the result of motor vehicle accidents in Pennsylvania in 2009.

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